Review of FCM 1/48th Scale
Gloster Meteor F.8 Decal Set
Set no. 48054
By Ray Mehlberger
Available at Sprue Bros for $19.49 marked down from $21.50.
By Ray Mehlberger
Available at Sprue Bros for $19.49 marked down from $21.50.
HISTORY:
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its groundbreaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936.
The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. The Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. Gloster's 1946 civil Meteor F.4 demonstrator G-AIDC was the first civilian-registered jet aircraft in the world.
Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades.
The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fought in the Korean War. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts.
Specialized variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photographic aerial reconnaissance and as night fighters.
The Meteor was also used for research and development purposes and to break several aviation records. On 7 November 1945, the first official airspeed record by a jet aircraft was set by a Meteor F.3 at 606 miles per hour (975 km/h).
In 1946, this record was broken when a Meteor F.4 reached a speed of 616 miles per hour (991 km/h). Other performance-related records were broken in categories including flight time endurance, rate of climb, and speed. On 20 September 1945, a heavily modified Meteor I, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent turbine engines driving propellers, became the first turboprop aircraft to fly.
In the 1950s, the Meteor became increasingly obsolete as more nations introduced jet fighters, many of these newcomers having adopted a swept wing instead of the Meteor's conventional straight wing; in RAF service, the Meteor was replaced by newer types such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. As of 2018, two Meteors, G-JSMA and G-JWMA, remain in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat test-beds.
On 10 February 1954, a specially adapted Meteor F.8, the "Meteor Prone Pilot", which placed the pilot into a prone position to counteract inertial forces, took its first flight.
One further aircraft in the UK remains airworthy, as does another in Australia.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Gloster Aircraft Company
First flight: 5 March 1943
Introduction to service: 27 July 1944
Retired: 1980s (RAF target tugs)
Status: Two in use as testbed aircraft
Primary users: Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Belgian Air Force, Argentine Air Force , Brazilian Air Force.
Produced: 1943–1955
Number built: 3,947
Unit cost: £27,800 (1946)
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its groundbreaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936.
The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. The Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. Gloster's 1946 civil Meteor F.4 demonstrator G-AIDC was the first civilian-registered jet aircraft in the world.
Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades.
The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fought in the Korean War. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts.
Specialized variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photographic aerial reconnaissance and as night fighters.
The Meteor was also used for research and development purposes and to break several aviation records. On 7 November 1945, the first official airspeed record by a jet aircraft was set by a Meteor F.3 at 606 miles per hour (975 km/h).
In 1946, this record was broken when a Meteor F.4 reached a speed of 616 miles per hour (991 km/h). Other performance-related records were broken in categories including flight time endurance, rate of climb, and speed. On 20 September 1945, a heavily modified Meteor I, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent turbine engines driving propellers, became the first turboprop aircraft to fly.
In the 1950s, the Meteor became increasingly obsolete as more nations introduced jet fighters, many of these newcomers having adopted a swept wing instead of the Meteor's conventional straight wing; in RAF service, the Meteor was replaced by newer types such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. As of 2018, two Meteors, G-JSMA and G-JWMA, remain in active service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat test-beds.
On 10 February 1954, a specially adapted Meteor F.8, the "Meteor Prone Pilot", which placed the pilot into a prone position to counteract inertial forces, took its first flight.
One further aircraft in the UK remains airworthy, as does another in Australia.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Gloster Aircraft Company
First flight: 5 March 1943
Introduction to service: 27 July 1944
Retired: 1980s (RAF target tugs)
Status: Two in use as testbed aircraft
Primary users: Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Belgian Air Force, Argentine Air Force , Brazilian Air Force.
Produced: 1943–1955
Number built: 3,947
Unit cost: £27,800 (1946)
THE SET:
FCM is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This set consists of a single decal sheet and the instructions packaged in a clear self-sealing envelope.
FCM is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This set consists of a single decal sheet and the instructions packaged in a clear self-sealing envelope.
The instructions consists of a single sheet, printed on both sides in 11” x 8” format, in color on slick-coated paper. It is folded in half to fit the envelope.
The face side shows 6 British Air Force Meteor F.8’s, a suggested paint color listing with FS numbers for each color included. However, these numbers are said to be conjectural.
The suggested kit to use this decal sheet on is either the Airfix or the Classic Airframes one.
The 1st side-profile is a F.8 with 500 RAuxAF Squadron, Squadron Leader Desmond “Dizzy” de Villiers aircraft, West Malling-Kent-1956-UK.
It is overall bare metal with a medium blue tail and rudder. The rudder has 2 rows of zig-zags in white with red centers. The British roundels on the side of the fuselage have a bar on each side with repeats of the zig-zags on medium blue.
The 2nd side-profile is a Mk.8 with 615 RAuxAF Squadron, Biggin Hill-Kent-1953-UK..
It is in a wave pattern of dark sea-grey and RAF dark green over a bare metal undercarriage. It has a white rudder with 2 dark blue zig-zags across it. The British roundel on the side of the fuselage has a bar on each side of the roundel that is white with the dark-blue zig-zag on them.
The 3rd side-profile is a Mk.8 with 153 RAF Squadron, Derry-North Ireland-1956-UK. It is in the same color pattern as the 2nd side profile. It has a blue, white and red vertical fin flash on the rudder over a logo of a white 6 pointed star with a black bat on it. The fuselage roundel has white bars either side of it with double red chevrons on them.
The 4th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 117 Squadron, Tel Nov-Israel-1958. It is in a wave pattern of olive-brown and RAF dark-green over a grey undercarriage. It has a black and white lip on the engines air intake ends and around the tip of its nose. On the side of the fuselage is the Israeli Air Force white circle with a black 6 pointed Star of David on it, followed by a white 06.
The face side shows 6 British Air Force Meteor F.8’s, a suggested paint color listing with FS numbers for each color included. However, these numbers are said to be conjectural.
The suggested kit to use this decal sheet on is either the Airfix or the Classic Airframes one.
The 1st side-profile is a F.8 with 500 RAuxAF Squadron, Squadron Leader Desmond “Dizzy” de Villiers aircraft, West Malling-Kent-1956-UK.
It is overall bare metal with a medium blue tail and rudder. The rudder has 2 rows of zig-zags in white with red centers. The British roundels on the side of the fuselage have a bar on each side with repeats of the zig-zags on medium blue.
The 2nd side-profile is a Mk.8 with 615 RAuxAF Squadron, Biggin Hill-Kent-1953-UK..
It is in a wave pattern of dark sea-grey and RAF dark green over a bare metal undercarriage. It has a white rudder with 2 dark blue zig-zags across it. The British roundel on the side of the fuselage has a bar on each side of the roundel that is white with the dark-blue zig-zag on them.
The 3rd side-profile is a Mk.8 with 153 RAF Squadron, Derry-North Ireland-1956-UK. It is in the same color pattern as the 2nd side profile. It has a blue, white and red vertical fin flash on the rudder over a logo of a white 6 pointed star with a black bat on it. The fuselage roundel has white bars either side of it with double red chevrons on them.
The 4th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 117 Squadron, Tel Nov-Israel-1958. It is in a wave pattern of olive-brown and RAF dark-green over a grey undercarriage. It has a black and white lip on the engines air intake ends and around the tip of its nose. On the side of the fuselage is the Israeli Air Force white circle with a black 6 pointed Star of David on it, followed by a white 06.
The 5th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 609 RAuxAF Squadron, Church Fenton-1955-UK. It is in a wave pattern of dark sea-grey and RAF dark-green, over a bare metal undercarriage. It had the British Air Force vertical red, white and blue fin flash on the rudder over a large yellow letter K. The roundel on the side of the fuselage has a black bar either side of it with a row of yellow X’s on them.
The 6th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 616 RAuxAF Squadron, Worksop-1955-UK. It is in the same color pattern as the number 5 profile above. It has a vertical red, white and blue fin flash on the rudder, over a large yellow letter N. The roundel on the side of the fuselage has orange bars either side of it that have yellow squares on them.
The 7th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 117 Squadron, Suez Crisis, Tel Nov-Israel-1956, It is overall bare metal with the Israeli Air force insignia of a white circle with a medium-blue 6 pointed Star of David on it, followed by a black fuselage band and a black 08. It has a black and white rim on the front of the engine intake and a small black tip on its nose.
The 6th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 616 RAuxAF Squadron, Worksop-1955-UK. It is in the same color pattern as the number 5 profile above. It has a vertical red, white and blue fin flash on the rudder, over a large yellow letter N. The roundel on the side of the fuselage has orange bars either side of it that have yellow squares on them.
The 7th side-profile is a Mk.8 with 117 Squadron, Suez Crisis, Tel Nov-Israel-1956, It is overall bare metal with the Israeli Air force insignia of a white circle with a medium-blue 6 pointed Star of David on it, followed by a black fuselage band and a black 08. It has a black and white rim on the front of the engine intake and a small black tip on its nose.
The reverse side of the instructions shows the top view of no. 1 profile as having medium blue elevator tops.
The bottom view of no. 4 Israeli Air Force profile just shows the roundels. A head-on view shows that the white and black on the engine intakes alternate around it and the nose. A small side profile shows the other side of the plane.
A small profile shows the other side that is the same for numbers 2,3,5 & 6 profiles.
The bottom view of No.1 profile shows large black serial no. WF714 under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom view of no. 2 profile shows large black serial no. WH445 under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 3 profile shows large black serial no. WH450 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 5 profile shows large black serial no. VZ531 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 6 profile shows large black serial no. WH263 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The top of no. 7 Israeli Air Force profile shows black diagonal bars across each wing top.
The bottom view of no. 4 Israeli Air Force profile just shows the roundels. A head-on view shows that the white and black on the engine intakes alternate around it and the nose. A small side profile shows the other side of the plane.
A small profile shows the other side that is the same for numbers 2,3,5 & 6 profiles.
The bottom view of No.1 profile shows large black serial no. WF714 under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom view of no. 2 profile shows large black serial no. WH445 under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 3 profile shows large black serial no. WH450 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 5 profile shows large black serial no. VZ531 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The bottom of no. 6 profile shows large black serial no. WH263 repeated under each wing. Upside down under the left wing.
The top of no. 7 Israeli Air Force profile shows black diagonal bars across each wing top.
This is a neat decal sheet to use on a Meteor kit in 1/48th. It will be of great interest to modelers planning to do a Meteor in that scale.
This is one neat decal sheet. The colors are very bright and vivid and in perfect register.
The sheet was manufactured in Brazil and printed by Micro Scale.
I want to thank Mr. Felipe C. Miranda, owner and designer of FCM decals for this review sample.
All FCM decals can be viewed on their website at:
This is one neat decal sheet. The colors are very bright and vivid and in perfect register.
The sheet was manufactured in Brazil and printed by Micro Scale.
I want to thank Mr. Felipe C. Miranda, owner and designer of FCM decals for this review sample.
All FCM decals can be viewed on their website at: